Fate has not been kind to the Yankees this year. Just when we were feeling good about Jasson Dominguez arriving with a bang, he gets hurt and will be out for several months in 2024, and may be limited to dh duties for most of the season. This leads to changes in what might have been an orderly off-season of some trades and a few critical signings.

The first problem is one of subtraction. Stanton has to go, even if the Yankees have to eat most, or even all, of his salary. He can't hit, can't run, and is barely adequate in the outfield. We could talk about his base-running, but he base-walks at this point. Even if it takes a DFA, we have to get rid of him, which would allow Judge some dh time, and open the job for Dominguez when he is able to bat.

The Yankees badly need to add a few left-handed bats, and must cover gaping holes in cf, lf, c, and maybe 3B.

While they might have to overpay, Bellinger is the only quality left-handed bat out there, and plays a quality cf or 1B. With Dominguez out, he becomes a virtual necessity.

Perhaps they could pull a trade for Brandon Donovan (switch hitter) from the Cardinals. He can play IF or corner OF, but is not great at any of these positions, but will hit both power and average. Thing get very sketchy after that. Neither Pereira or Peralta look like they are ready for full-time service, although they might play a role on the bench (particularly Peralta). I doubt the Yankees would anti up for Ohtani, but he would clearly cover the dh role spectacularly. The Yankees probably don't want him or need him to pitch. By forcing a 6-man rotation, Ohtani pitching screws up the entire pitching staff (as the Angels very well know.)

They could use another starter, and are apparently going to aggressively pursue Yamamoto. The bullpen may need some help, depending upon the long-term health of Loaisiga, Effross, Hamilton, and a few others. Moreso if King is converted to a starting role- which appears to be their intention. Brito and Vasquez might play a role as long relievers in 2024.

Cashman is going to have to be busy this off-season, and he should attack the market early, rather than sitting on his rump waiting for other teams to call him, which is his usual approach.

We have Rizzo for one more year, assuming he recovers from his concussion issues (remember Clint Frazier, who took over a year to recover).

Catcher could also be a critical issue. Wells looks ok behind the plate, but is not hitting as expected. Its a small sample size, but the Yankees might need a better Plan B than Trevino. Judge and Cole aren't getting any younger. The Yankees have at best a 2-year window to win with Judge and Cole leading the way. After that, a more complete rebuild will be necessary, which is a very scary thought given the state of the farm system.